This pandemic is the most significant health crisis we have faced in over a century. As medical students, we have prepared for emergency situations as part of our training and, while the current situation is unprecedented, we automatically assumed that when the NHS is in need, it would be our duty to contribute. This same assumption is also made by the general public. Consequently, when relatives and friends, who usually reserve their interest for the odd gory anecdote, excitedly ask how we are helping, for many of us medical students the answer is hard to swallow . . . we are not.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While many medical schools have graduated final year students early so that they may bolster the workforce, the role of students in other stages of the programme has been less clear. Clinical placements have been cancelled and teaching has moved online, as numerous medical schools strive to enable students to sit their exams on time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The decision to cancel clinical placements has been made with good reason, of course.\u00a0 Additional foot traffic in hospitals increases the risk of the virus spreading and represents a threat to everyone, including medical students. Furthermore, the variable and finite provision of personal protective equipment means that students should largely be assigned to patients who don\u2019t have covid-19. However, the nature of the virus and availability of testing can make it difficult to identify those that fit this criteria. As the NHS is stretched to its limits, it is imperative that the future supply of junior doctors does not suffer. This means that students\u2019 dedication to staying on track with their medical education\u2014to ensure we are competent when our time comes\u2014is more important than ever.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Any student volunteering needs to be confident that it will not be at the expense of their learning and ability to get through exams. Prior to the lockdown, many students made the decision to travel back to their family homes, which precludes volunteering at their usual teaching hospitals. Some students will be living with vulnerable family members who may be shielding, and therefore the risks of any potential cross-infection posed by volunteering must be taken into consideration. Coupled with the lack of clarity around what hands-on roles for medical students might involve, this means volunteering is not an option for some students, and a difficult decision at best for others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Despite all of this, many medical students are still struggling with feelings of underlying guilt, compounded by the knowledge that our teachers and future colleagues are risking their lives every day. After all, watching an online lecture delivered by an emergency medicine consultant before their gruelling hospital shift just feels wrong when in the comfort of your own home, drinking yet another cup of tea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is hard to shake the internal assumption that everyone else in your peer group is probably volunteering on the frontline, and if you are not, then you are not rising to the call of duty. Speaking with peers indicates that this is not the case, however the pervading sentiment of guilt is widely shared by us all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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